Companies of the C2C Learning Community About Their Experiences and Lessons Learned Colophon

Cradle to Cradle pays off!

Companies of the C2C Learning Community about their experiences and lessons learned Colophon

Cradle to Cradle pays off! Companies of the C2C Learning Community about their experiences and lessons learned.

Text: The Terrace: Pierre Hupperts, Fleur Embrechts, Jacobien Crol NL Agency: Anne-Marie Bor, Ireen de Nijs

Contact: The Terrace BV www.theterrace.nl [email protected]

Graphic design: Lawine grafisch ontwerp, Utrecht www.lawine.nl

Participant photos: Eveline Renaud

This booklet was printed in accordance with C2C principles by the Knoops printing establishment. Management summary

This booklet is about the results of one and a half years of dedication topics was handled, from internal support to the closure of cycles. of the Cradle to Cradle Learning Community. A total of seventeen The participants unanimously concluded that: companies took part. In the course of 10 sessions a wide range of Cradle to Cradle pays off for profit, people and planet!

The most important learning experiences from the Learning Community are as follows:

3 1. A Learning Community is a very suitable instrument for 5. The choice and implementation of C2C cuts through every layer accelerating sustainable development. By sharing experiences, and department of the organization. It is an integral challenge for learning from dilemmas, and collectively undertaking new projects the company. The internal support is strengthened because C2C and activities. appeals to personal values.

2. The companies taking part in the Learning Community recognize the 6. In the design and choice of materials for products, it is crucial to importance and the necessity of placing sustainability high on the determine the cycle (technical or biological) for which the product and social agenda. There are also clear economic and financial reasons its components are intended in advance. This makes it easier to close for choosing sustainability. C2C offers a profitable perspective for the loops. business development that focuses on future opportunities. 7. One major challenge in relation to the closure of cycles is the use of 3. Sustainable purchasing can only be successful if we do more than return systems. One option for the producer is to retain ownership of simply look for the lowest price for a particular product or service. the product after sales, offering the buyer a residual value when the The ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ (TCO) perspective delivers higher yields useful life of the product has ended. in the long run, both financially and in terms of sustainability. Since C2C products often remain the property of the producer, TCO even 8. C2C also requires behaviour change of individuals within delivers lower costs. Raw materials and components do not have to (departments of) organizations. It is more than a technical be produced all over again. innovation or local change.

4. The marketing of C2C varies per company. In every case however, 9. C2C pays off because it means successful business. the yield is positive, particularly with respect to free publicity and attracting new customers. In today’s world, there is a need for genuinely inspiring stories about sustainability; stories that demonstrate how sustainability in practice actually works. Foreword

In late 2008 the NUTEC Cradle to Cradle trade fair was held in Conversations with companies actively engaged in C2C and leaders Germany. Front-runners within the field of C2C got the opportunity to in the field of sustainability soon demonstrated there was a strong meet. A number of companies came up with the idea of exchanging desire to set up a Learning Community. “A far-reaching sustainable their knowledge and experience of C2C. Mutual consultations showed innovation of this kind cannot be achieved alone,” was a frequently that many companies were facing the same issues and dilemmas in heard comment. Cooperation in the chain and with other “like- relation to this new concept. They all appreciated the attractiveness minded” companies is a vital condition for success in this field. of C2C and the opportunities it represented, but they also had many questions about how to put the concept into practice. This was the And so this is what happened. 4 area in which most support was needed. So far the Learning Community has met on ten occasions. Each Contacts were established with Agentschap NL (formerly session was facilitated by the participating companies; their ‘SenterNovem’) and the Ministry of VROM (currently: Housing, learning questions on C2C played a central role. The essence of the Spatial Planning and the Environment) to see if they could support Learning Community is sharing insights about the topics handled launching such an initiative. Eventually this led to the idea of creating in this booklet. These themes are extremely diverse, ranging a ‘Community of Practice’, also known as the ‘Learning Community’. from marketing to internal support, from sustainable purchasing

Pierre Hupperts, CSR expert and partner of The Terrace Anne-Marie Bor, moderator and consultant eco-innovation at Agentschap NL

"In the Learning Community, "C2C calls for creativity from the learning questions of the the chain partners. If we are to companies themselves are realize a positive environmental central. Their needs impact, we need a different way determine the content and of thinking." format of the sessions." to organizational change. All these areas are part of sustainable way. Producing excellent results, as witnessed by this booklet. The innovation implied by C2C. An important conclusion of the Learning learning and mutual cooperation will certainly continue after this Community is that C2C pays off - in every sense of the word. C2C is publication. The companies involved decided to carry on with the beneficial for profits, people and the planet. Learning Community.

The structure of this booklet follows the ten Learning Community In this way, they remain true to the task they set themselves at the sessions in chronological order. This allows the reader to follow its first meeting of the Learning Community; in their view the greatest development over the course of time. challenge is the continuous focus on the “sense of urgency”. 5

It was our privilege to facilitate and organize the Learning Our thanks to Katja Hansen and Douglas Mulhall of EPEA for their Community. We use the word ‘privilege’ deliberately because it substantial contribution and support to the Learning Community in produced ten fascinating sessions. We watched the 17 participants the sounding board group. grow from an extremely diverse and somewhat disconnected set of individuals into a group that was able to share and discuss all May 2011, the relevant issues in a companionable, familiar and professional Pierre Hupperts Anne-Marie Bor, Ireen de Nijs The Terrace Agentschap NL

Ireen de Nijs, consultant eco-innovation at Agentschap NL

"Companies can learn a huge amount from one another, especially if they come from different sectors." Contents

An improbable joint venture between an American architect and a On the basis of the Cradle to Cradle innovation framework German chemist led to the publication of a book in 2002, which gave companies started making products with surplus value; products a new impulse to the way we think about sustainable development. that have a positive effect on people, the environment and society. In “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things” Michael This innovation framework is helping us to find sustainable product Braungart and William McDonough present a concept which lifts our solutions using the 3 ‘guiding principles’ of C2C: ideas about sustainability to a higher level. 1. Waste = food: this principle envisages an infinite cycle in which products are designed and produced in such a way that they The traditional way of thinking about sustainability was established ultimately produce new products, or can be reintroduced to the 7 in the seventies when people started to realize that our current biological or technological cycle; production and consumption system is damaging the environment. In 2. Use renewable and inexhaustible energy sources, such as the nineties, designing methods such as eco-design and measuring the sun; techniques such as LCA were developed with the aim of minimizing 3. Celebrate diversity; greater diversity leads to a more resilient the environmental damage caused by human activity. ecosystem;

However, according to Braungart and McDonough, we should not just The realization of C2C concepts requires a considerable amount of be looking for ways to make things “less bad”. Carrying on with the creativity, financial resources, and cooperation between the right traditional ‘Cradle to Grave’ production model will still lead to huge partners. The 3 ‘guiding principles’ provide shared goals for this quantities of waste and pollution being produced. McDonough and purpose. Maintaining the C2C philosophy and implementing it in an Braungart propose “starting out by doing the right things”. This new organizational process is an on-going, step-by-step development. perspective is rapidly gaining ground among the current leaders in To obtain a clear structure and direction, a roadmap is often used to sustainability. help us plot a path towards a future-oriented objective.

MBDC is the owner of the Cradle to Cradle trademark; EPEA has the right to use this trademark and assists companies in the certification process. The C2C Product Innovation Institute is licensed to certify products in accordance with the third version of the Cradle to Cradle certification chart, which is currently in progress.

F urther readings EPEA: www.epea.com; www.epea-hamburg.org MBDC: www.mbdc.com C2C Product Innovation Institute: www.c2ccertified.com 1. Sense of Urgency An opportunity not to be missed

At the first meeting of the Learning Community, the planning and According to the WWF “living planet” report (2010) current energy themes of the current and subsequent meetings were discussed. sources are being used up 50% faster than they can be generated. One particular theme was not initially on the list but added by the Our ecological footprint shows we will need 2.8 ‘planet Earths’ in companies themselves, and it was selected as the subject of the first 2050. From 1970 to 2007 the abundance of species on the planet session: the urgency of Cradle to Cradle and sustainability. Several shrank by 30%, and in the tropics by as much as 60%. As the world members had just attended the annual Club of Rome International population grows, the demand on the means of existence and for a meeting, which was held in 2009 in Amsterdam. Climate change, luxury life style grows with it. And this is happening at a time when the scarcity of raw materials, the depletion of fossil fuels and the there is already a serious shortage of materials. 8 endless wastage of raw materials in the ‘throw-away economy’ were just some of the arguments for placing the urgency of C2C high on All companies taking part in the Learning Community share the the agenda. sense of urgency and see the necessity for change.

Knoops | The Netherlands’ first C2C printing establishment

E co printing other printers in terms of sustainability. The What has C2C delivered? www.drukkerijknoops.nl company wants to remain a leader and maintain • o Cradle t Cradle put Knoops on the map as an its position over competitors. Knoops depends innovative company in the field of sustainability. Knoops Eco Printing prints according to the Cradle on its suppliers, of ink and paper for example, for Other companies regularly consult Knoops. C2C to Cradle principle, so that a naturally clean and its business operations. One important step was makes it easier to explain your business and transparent printing process is applied. The therefore for the company and EPEA to persuade business philosophy to third parties, and makes choices for Cradle to Cradle arose from a constant these suppliers to adjust the composition of their clear what you stand for. drive to be innovative and open to change. With products to the Cradle to Cradle criteria. C2C Knoops seeks to distinguish itself from According to them, businesses have a crucial role to play in this Stichting Urgenda believes in ‘doing’, delivering inspiring Icon sustainable change and in accelerating the transition to a positive projects such as the sustainable floating pavilion in Rotterdam and impact on mankind and the environment. New business models the electrically powered ‘Think’, a 95% recyclable car with zero CO2 are needed to enable the creation of shared value for business, and fine-dust emissions. environment and society. During the Learning Community the companies taking part looked The participants in the Learning Community were keen on discussing at areas, which support the C2C philosophy and accelerate the how C2C can be accelerated and a sense of urgency promoted. conversion to a sustainable economy. Three companies worked on 9 They themselves are doing this in different ways. Marjan Minnesma, an Icon product combining their collective knowledge of marketing, director of Urgenda, inspired the participants with Icon projects. design and foodstuffs (see paragraph 2 on sustainable purchasing). These are large-scaled sustainability projects with an important Others worked on the inclusion of C2C in purchasing criteria. This led symbolic function for innovation and sustainability, so that demand to a list of indicators which organizations can refer to when drawing can be created in the market. up their invitations for tenders. Another collective initiative was

What has the Learning Community delivered? • s Knoops i interested to see how other companies approach C2C and integrate it into their business. The Learning Community provides an excellent platform for comparing oneself to other companies and defining benchmarks to evaluate your own particular approach.

Wessel Breeuwsma, Director KEP, Drukkerij Knoops: “ The world is changing. If one company starts with Cradle to Cradle, other companies will also benefit from investing time and energy into it.” launched to spread the word about C2C, the so-called C2C cafés Sense of urgency learning points (see paragraph 6 on organizational change and sales). • In practice companies are willing to change when it comes to an Companies working individually and collectively all set to work on a innovative and distinctive concept, which they themselves can use to range of special ‘Icon projects’ designed to show that C2C and the create a new market. closure of cycles is in fact possible. And that it can also be inspiring • A more sustainable world also starts with small steps and in to other companies. accordance with the DNA of the organization. Sustainable trading and commercial success go hand in hand!

Ako z Nobel | Factory of the Future

Paint, coatings and specialized Using the computer model of the Factory of the a strong communication function between the chemicals Future, the consortium tried to shed light on various disciplines and education. The knowledge www.akzonobel.com both the internal processes of the factory and the and insights gained are made available to www.factoryofthefuture.nl processes that take place outside its doors, in companies in the form of a knowledge base, other words to gains a better understanding of the which can be used to train employees in new A virtual factory embracing the C2C philosophy chain. The challenge is not limited to designing a processes and products. is the Factory of the Future model. A year and a sustainable building or using sustainable materials. half ago AkzoNobel formed a consortium of seven The impact of the production process on the According to Jan Verlaan, during the companies to develop a typical chemical factory consumption of energy and water is actually many development of the Factory of the Future model with a continuous recycling system; a production times greater than the impact of the building. the sense of urgency became very clear: “The life environment based on C2C principles to create Using the Factory of the Future model in a follow- span of a factory is 40 to 50 years. In practice a positive footprint. As C2C guru and someone up project (2011), the impact on biodiversity will this means we have to start now if we want to involved in the project, Michael Braungart points be examined alongside such things as energy and deal with the challenges that lie ahead of us. The out: “Factories can be like trees, having a positive water consumption. Biodiversity can actually be entire chain should be examined so that a series effect on the environment. We should celebrate supported if we design production processes in of small steps can be taken that will ultimately the human footprint instead of minimizing it.” such a way that water and/or air are purified, or have a massive impact.” The Factory of the Future concept shows us that the fertility of the soil increased. factories do not have to reduce their impact, but can actually bring added value to the environment The Factory of the Future started out as a precisely because of their positive impact. technical design project. Today, it also serves • Stop talking and start doing, even if it is only small step to begin with. Further reading • An inspiring vision and mission accelerate change. Icon projects: www.urgenda.com • It is essential to draw up a roadmap with SMART objectives and Report ‘living planet’: www.wwf.org KPI performance indicators. Club of Rome meeting Amsterdam 2009: • It takes time and effort for a large group to gain momentum. www.clubofrome.at/2009/amsterdam/index.html Patience and perseverance are necessary virtues.

What has C2C delivered? • The development of the Factory of the Future model was the start of a very concrete and practical project. As time went by, it became clear that it could be deployed on a much wider front; it now has a clear educational function as well. The model can be applied to the development of things like bridges, residential areas, or even entire cities. Jan Verlaan explains: “When you start something together, you can end up in a different place to what you had expected. This was a very surprising outcome for everyone concerned.” • C2C pays off because it is realistic business practice.

What has the Learning Community delivered? • s There i a certain amount of risk in long-term projects to lose focus, and slow down. Participation in the Learning Community allowed us to stay focused on our objectives, and this kept us up to speed.

Jan Verlaan, Ideation manager AkzoNobel and initiator of the ‘Factory of the Future’ project: “Of course we cannot go on living the way we do. I want my children and grandchildren to have a good life as well.” 2. Sustainable Public Procurement From criteria to co-creation

Businesses are confronted by the growing demand for sustainable In the Learning Community green public procurement was discussed products and services. In the B2B market in particular, there has repeatedly. The main issues addressed were how C2C can be built been a rapid rise in sustainability requirements in calls for tenders. into the approval criteria of tenders, and how the government can In 2005, the Dutch government decided to make Sustainable Public actually create space for C2C products and services through tenders. Procurement compulsory. Every year, the government spends more than 50 billion Euros on purchasing and contracting-out; this means The C2C certification has six points of focus by which products are they can give factories a strong impulse to develop C2C products and assessed: services. This way the government can take on the role of ‘launching 1. Used materials 12 customer’, thus encouraging the market to create a more sustainable 2. Closed loops supply. This may involve innovative C2C products which are currently 3. Diversity too expensive, or for which the market is still too narrow. As an 4. Energy policy extremely large buyer, the government can create new markets and 5. Water, air and soil policy (at the municipal or provincial level) encourage the closure of cycles. 6. Social Responsibility

Sapa Pole Products | Sustainable public lighting

A luminium lamp posts to make new lamp poles. The C2C snowball has this phase of the C2C development process, Sapa www.sapapoleproducts.com continued to roll at Sapa ever since. is engaged in the certification process so that its products fulfil all the C2C requirements. Sapa first came across the C2C concept through A logical follow-up for Sapa is the realization of the Aluminium Center, with which it has close a C2C lamp post of which the choice of materials What has C2C delivered? connections. Without realizing it, it already took is top priority. Apart from the recycled aluminium • sn C2C i a integral component of a sustainable a step in the direction of Cradle to Cradle in a posts from its own foundry, other materials policy. It affects the identity of your company and pilot project with the municipality of Tilburg, who used in the lamp posts are being subjected to helps to build a good company image. were already purchasing their climate-neutral critical scrutiny. The implementation of the C2C • C2C pays off because it enables you to lamp posts. Sapa takes back the old aluminium philosophy requires commitment by the entire demonstrate your commitment with respect to lamp posts released by the municipality. They are business. It is an on-going process because of our living environment. brought to the Sapa premises, melted and re-used continuous new developments and findings. In Cradle to Cradle points of focus in sustainable procurement With regards to the most suitable contracting techniques for inclusion Purchasers from government and the business community could of these points of concern in the purchasing process, we refer the use the mentioned six points of concern to formulate criteria reader to the document “Sustainable procurement with ambition!” if their organization wishes to purchase C2C. These points are produced by the Sustainable Product Chains (DPK) expertise network. elaborated in the explanation and C2C Procurement Mind map set out below, drawn up by the Learning Community in cooperation with Both government procurement officers and procurement Pierre Hupperts, The Terrace, the Sustainable Public Procurement officers from the business community, with the exception of the Programme of NL Agency and EPEA. green-marked fields, could use the areas of concern explained in 13 the C2C Procurement Mind map. These criteria are usually not The strength lies in the cohesion, in other words, the more points of suitable for procurement by governments because of the European focus that are taken into account in the procurement, the better the legislation on proportionality. However, they may play a role in the C2C quality is expected to be. The procurement officer can decide for functional specifications of government building/soil/water/road himself how best to apply these points of concern to his purchasing. construction projects.

What has the Learning Community delivered? • Above all, Sapa learned in practical lessons from the other companies in the Learning Community about things such as the certification process. Sapa received numerous tips from Ahrend about the do’s and don’ts of certification.

Tanja Buijks, Marketing & communications coordinator at Sapa: “The debate about materials is about to start. This is something you should be anticipating as a business.” Mindmap Cradle to Cradle Procurement

For Government procurement officers, see thesocial criteria for sustainable public procurement on the website of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment

Supplier has a corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy, which has been communicated externally and which defines social and environmental targets. (ISO 26000)

S ocial responsibility Supplier has a code of conduct and/or ethics

Supplier has an externally verified report defining the social and environmental 14 objectives and results

The company subscribes to ILO and OESO directives

In addition to intended function, the product has an extra quality that contributes to the quality of life of people and the environment (added value) Increase diversity Supplier is helping to increase biodiversity by means of the product design/materials/ facilities used in the chain Cradle to Cradle Supplier indicates how the company is working energy-positively points of focus for procurement Supplier is itself using sustainable energy for its own production process/offices by Government and the business sector Supplier has a plan to make the company’s energy consumption sustainable

Supplier preferably uses local energy sources U se of rapidly renewable energy from the sun and gravity Supplier supplies products that produce rapidly renewable energy

Supplier demonstrates how its organization is purifying the air and waste in the environment?

Supplier has a plan indicating water consumption (absolute amount), the water sources and the quality of the wastewater and how this will help supplier to make a positive contribution to the surroundings Improved air, soil and water quality

Supplier is supplying products that improve the quality of the air, soil and water Plea se note: Government procurement officers should be extra careful with the points of focus displayed in thegreen rectangles. In view of the European legislation on proportionality, these points will not always be suitable for formulating criteria.

Supplier is involving local suppliers and customers Stimulate local solutions Supplier is adapting to local needs

The composition of the supplied products is known up to 100 ppm, even in the case of recycled materials

For each product, it has been defined for which use and which period of use the product has been designed and for which cycle the components are intended 15

The product contains no known toxic materials in the intended specific application. For this information, link up with knowledge/expertise/criteria from certification schemes

Do no harm: conscious The impact of the product ingredients on people and the environment is known and has been tested independently. use of good-quality For ingredients with a prohibited impact, there is a plan for phasing out those ingredients and healthy materials Products intended for the technical cycle contain as many recyclable materials as possible which are healthy during the period of use

Products intended for the biological cycle contain as many materials as possible that can be biologically degraded/ composted safely under defined conditions

As many of the materials as possible in the product are recyclable or compostable or have been recycled or are rapidly renewable

Supplier has a plan for re-use of the materials by the company itself or by another producer

Supplier arranges for the return of products

Products can be collected separately

Waste equals food: Products consist of as few components as possible circulate materials in continuous loops Products consist of as few different materials as possible

Products are easy to disassembly

Products have been marked so that the materials they contain are identifiable S ustainable procurement learning points • For sustainable procurement it is very important to adopt an • The pooling of knowledge among companies is a good way integral approach. Separate tenders can be associated with one to promote sustainable procurement. To develop sustainable another in terms of content, so that a larger sustainability impact products, you also need to purchase sustainably. The companies can be achieved. For example, by combining installation and of the Learning Community already have years of experience in maintenance in a single tender. This requires more and better this regard. This experience is shown in a C2C Procurement Mind internal cooperation and coordination within organizations. map. This allows the knowledge and experience of companies to be applied further by the government and by other companies. 16

Albron | The most sustainable caterer in the Netherlands

C atering “You can do very little on your own.” All those The criteria for sustainable procurement by www.albron.nl involved are concentrating on sustainability the government, drawn up by Agentschap NL, in the various parts of the production chain, have put sustainability on the map in numerous Albron wants to be the most sustainable large including the disposal phase. For example, organizations and companies. In recent times catering firm in the Netherlands. To achieve Albron is taking part in the reintroduction of an this has made it easier to encourage people this Albron is in continuous dialogue with all original Dutch breed of cattle (Blaarkop) as a both inside and outside Albron to think and act its stakeholders. Albron notes that there are superior and sustainable alternative, initiated by along similar lines in relation to making the enough producers who would like to work on Kruidenier Foodservice, with a positive impact supply chain more sustainable. There was - and

the production of honest food with its support. on CO2 emissions, the use of antibiotics, nature is - nothing shocking about these government Albron and its logistics partner Kruidenier conservation, biodiversity, and the quality of meat, criteria to Albron. Albron was already taking its Foodservices are also looking into ways of dairy products and manure. The two partners are own measures; for example, several years ago it making the assortment more sustainable. The working together to develop a concept in which has already converted to biological dairy products good cooperation between Albron and Kruidenier the products are produced and transported as in large packaging. At the same time Henk Foodservices is crucial because “sustainability sustainable as possible and the inevitable waste Voormolen says Albron is not there yet, and that always involves chains” according to the director products are also put to optimal use. more sustainable business is an on-going quest of ‘more sustainable business’ Henk Voormolen. in which continuous improvements can be made. “It is a matter of starting now and pushing ahead relentlessly.” • Procurement based solely on price ruins opportunities for adopting Further readings a genuinely sustainable approach. It hinders the ability of companies Brochure ‘Cradle to Cradle and sustainable purchasing’: to be innovative, and in many cases, especially when you look at via www.agentschapnl.nl/cradle-to-cradle the Total Cost of Ownership (the costs during the entire usage and disposal phase), cheap actually turns out to be expensive in the long run.

What has C2C delivered? • C2C pays off because waste = food. For instance, for fear of a new BSE crisis we now seem to panic, and throw high-value products away. At 1:29 pm a bread roll is rated as high-value food, but after 1:31 pm it is useless because of the constraints set up by the government. At Albron we are constantly looking for the opportunities that actually exists to close the cycles and retain the value of products.

What has the Learning Community delivered? • A better understanding of the significance and opportunities for C2C in food production.

Henk Voormolen, manager of ‘more sustainable business practices’ at Albron: “Investing in People and Planet also leads to profit, in the short and long term”. 3. Marketing and communication C2C sells

Companies deploy Cradle to Cradle in different ways. C2C can be the other hand, its the particular usage of materials is so much a ‘next step’ in the sustainability or CSR policy due to a decision associated with the company that it could well be detrimental to develop C2C products or services. We see this happening in to use the term C2C. For that reason it was decided to apply companies that have engaged in sustainability issues in their the C2C philosophy primarily to the new accommodation in the organization in the past, such as Van Houtum, Ahrend, EuroCeramic ECOmunitypark, and not to the marketing of ECOstyle’s products. and Mosa. C2C is given a position ‘on top of’ the mission of sustainability. However, Cradle to Cradle can also be a starting point There is a clear difference between the companies in the use of C2C for a rapid and complete change of direction in the organizational in their positioning. Some are primarily interested in certifying C2C 18 strategy. As in the case of DESSO, which decided to become a products; others want the brand and/or the business itself to be C2C company after a company takeover in 2007. For ECOstyle on fully associated with C2C:

Van Houtum | Satino Black

T oilet paper and washroom solutions offers more added value than other, comparable communication would be directed towards the www.vanhoutum.nl products.” end-user as well; hereby, Van Houtum hoped www.satinoblack.com to make end-users so enthusiastic about the Van Houtum underlines the importance of quality product that they would start asking for it at Satino Black was launched by Van Houtum as marks. For a new, relatively unknown brand, it their supplier– the customer of Van Houtum. Van the most environmentally friendly toilet paper demonstrates that your promises are subject Houtum subsequently helped the customer to in the world. The basic idea was that there is to guarantee. When it became known that Van implement Satino Black for the end-user. already plenty of green. The general opinion at Houtum had acquired C2C certification in 2009, Van Houtum is that if you want to be noticed, you the organization received a lot of positive media What has C2C delivered? have to do things differently and demonstrate attention. The amount of free publicity tripled, • A unique position in the market, pride among some courage. Hence, the ‘Dare to be Black’ which led to new customers and prospects. personnel and other stakeholders who campaign. The positioning is oriented towards an contributed to this success. A concept that no aura of quality and design “because what people With the introduction of this new concept it quickly longer says it is ‘less bad’ but that it is ‘good’. want in the first place is a good product with became clear that the distribution channel needed In other words: safe for mankind and the the right price/quality ratio,” says Nick op den help with the story. The field and sales staff of environment, so that future generations can Buijsch, concept manager CSR at Van Houtum. “If the customers (wholesalers) of Van Houtum were enjoy their lives just as much as we do. that product is also the most sustainable, then it offered training courses, and it was decided that • Van Houtum applied four marks of quality to its Satino Black toilet the market in which it operates. The vision of the use of C2C is

paper: C2C, EU Eco label, CO2 neutral and FSC recycled; determined by the sustainability ambitions of the company, the • EuroCeramic positions C2C alongside CSR and energy. EuroCeramic expectations as to whether C2C will retain its position in the market, profiles its products, glazed stoneware pipes, on the basis of two and the commercial benefits that can be achieved by using it among arguments: longer life span and lower management costs; other things. C2C is always tailored to the specific conditions that • DESSO, Mosa, Van Houtum and Ahrend profile themselves as C2C apply, and each company chooses its own focal points based on: companies; • ECOstyle has C2C products, but has decided not to use the term as such. • The market position of the company and the delivered products; 19 • The branding policy: does C2C fit in? The choices made by these companies were discussed frequently, • The size and scope of the company; at length in the Learning Community. The ultimate conclusion • The history and commitment with respect to sustainability; was that each company decides to take the choice that is the • The likelihood of commercial benefits from using C2C (deepening most strategically and commercially suited to the company and the existing customer base or tapping into new markets).

• C2C pays off because it is a quality concept encouraging organizations to innovate in a way that is good and safe for our society.

What has the Learning Community delivered? • When setting up and introducing the C2C roadmap, an organization can run into many different issues. The Learning Community broadens the perspective of Van Houtum with a range of areas for particular attention, so that they were then able to arrive at more deliberate and better-defined choices. • The participating organizations elaborated spontaneously on the subject matter addressed throughout the sessions. This is a particularly strong sign, considering that the organizations brought together by the Learning Community would not otherwise have got to know one another very well, if at all.

Nick op den Buijsch, concept manager CSR: “Change requires recognizable differentiation.” C2C offers various marketing advantages to companies:

1. Certification and C2C story support sales 2. Free publicity For some companies C2C certification is a necessary precondition A C2C product automatically generates free publicity. This makes it for marketing and communication. They have to be able to an important component of the marketing strategy of companies. demonstrate that it really is a C2C product, and that EPEA has Their representatives appear as speakers at conferences and shown this to be the case. Many companies share this sales-related seminars about sustainability to tell their ‘story’ to a specific target advantage. But they also indicate that customers are persuaded group of managers and directors (the target audience). Directly 20 by ‘the story’ they tell of how they put the C2C philosophy and the approaching municipal authorities is also very productive: the EPEA associated innovations into practice; the certificate is important as certificate gets you off to an excellent start. Free publicity was found evidence, but less important than ‘the story’ of C2C and innovation. to be a cheap and highly effective way of reaching target groups.

ECOstyle | ECOmunitypark

E cologically and environmentally friendly For many years ECOstyle had wanted to realize The buildings in the estate will be laid out as a products for soil, plants and animals. an industrial estate based on a sustainability work landscape rather than a business park; 100% www.ecostyle.nl concept. The park would serve as a calling card sustainable and ecologically sound, with modern www.ecomunitypark.com for sustainable and socially responsible business architecture that will take all the principles of practices. The ECOmunitypark developed out of ambitious, sustainable construction into account. Sustainability, innovation and the transfer of this vision, aiming to create a diverse and fully “Soon there will be optimal synergy between knowledge are important cornerstones for the sustainable work landscape that would return sustainable businesses in terms of knowledge, family business ECOstyle. This can be seen from genuine benefits to mankind, the environment and products and energy, creating added value for their intensive R&D programme in cooperation with society. The participating parties with their shared all the companies involved in an innovative and universities, their collective focus on sustainability vision decided on integral regional management, unusual working environment,” according to Wilma between sectors, and their investment in a broad shared facilities, innovation and authenticity. de Ruiter. In the ECOmunitypark the ECOstyle international network. organization, as one of the first companies, 3. Internal communication between producer and end-user There is a clear difference between ‘normal’ products and C2C On the contrary: he remains interested until the product is back in products. In the case of the former, the bond between brand and his own hands. It is beneficial to the producer to know where the user is often short-lived, in spite of all the time, money and effort product is and where it was purchased. For product developers and spent on marketing attempts to build up a long-lasting relationship marketers this releases a huge amount of new information, such as with the consumer. With C2C products however the relationship is usage (wear and tear for example), moment of return (reason) and 21 entirely different; as long as the user keeps the product, the bond the needs of the user (possible improvements). The development between the producer and the customer will persist. The producer and acquisition of C2C products leads to increased interaction does not lose interest as soon as the consumer buys the product. between the producer and the consumer.

will establish itself alongside other like-minded small and medium-sized businesses and knowledge institutes who feel at home there.

What has the Learning Community delivered? • The Learning Community delivered numerous, valuable contacts for ECOstyle in relation to materials and chain closure. Learning from one another from practice – often by trial and error – turned out to be remarkably educational. Inside the Learning Community all sorts of joint ventures were created. The focus has always been on opportunities, not on objections and obstacles.

Wilma de Ruiter-Van der Stroet, International Marketing Manager at ECOstyle: "The ultimate interaction between man, nature and the economy." Marketing and communication learning points • It is important to find the right combination within the company of • Cradle to Cradle helps you to tap into new markets and enables certification and clear communication (and visualization) of the things the business to adopt an innovative approach. organizations do in relation to C2C. • Standing out from the crowd does not immediately lead to more • Clients tend to be more concerned with price than sustainability. orders. Many customers appreciate the C2C product, but are not In external communications it is therefore important to talk about willing to switch over immediately. C2C in combination with the life span. The client needs to be • EPEA itself does not engage in marketing and communication convinced that sustainable choices are also the most beneficial in about C2C. You as a company must therefore do it yourself! the long term (including financially). 22

Phili ps Lighting | A green mind-set

L ighting organization. Training courses are offered for that In a large organization we find that the level www.philips.nl purpose, both internal and to third parties, often of function, age and ambition lead to different www.lighting.philips.nl in the form of e-learning programmes. There is motives. The biggest challenge is the middle a strong emphasis on internal communication. management. The top takes sustainability Philips has long been active in the field of These also appeal to the personal core values seriously, and the lower echelons are also keen to CSR. Way back in 1970 it established its of employees (health, friends/family, personal contribute. The middle management on the other own environmental affairs department and interpretation). Nevertheless there are always hand has strict marketing and sales targets they environmental policy. Sustainability continues to some who tend to take the lead with a ‘green’ have to meet if they want to move forward in the be firmly anchored in the organization thanks to mind-set, whereas others are more sceptical organization. When it comes to achieving targets, the dynamic character of that department. and still need to be convinced of the value of sustainability can be regarded as a risk or as a sustainability for the organization. A different driver. This is why it is so important to encourage Maarten ten Houten, Sustainability Director of approach is needed for each of these groups. sustainability within the organization; one method Philips Lighting, says there are several success One way of persuading the second group is to is to use road maps, which include sustainable factors for the integration of sustainability in point out that it is possible to earn money with products as an integral part of the business the organization. It is important that everyone sustainable products - by reducing life cycle strategy. understands what sustainability means to the costs for example. 4. Internal support Making C2C tangible

The members of the Learning Community perceive Cradle to Cradle achieved when C2C is integrated into the core business and becomes and sustainability as a challenge for the entire organization. The part of the DNA of the organization. management or Board of Directors can and should indicate the To translate the Cradle to Cradle ambitions of the organization into strategic direction, but it is crucial that C2C thinking and acting is practice it is essential that middle management and employees anchored in the organization. After all, the success of C2C requires have a clear idea of what C2C means in relation to their daily the enthusiasm and cooperation of all departments - product tasks and responsibilities. It can imply substantial changes for development, production, sales, purchasing, marketing etc. The employees in terms of their activities, in a way that appeals to their Cradle to Cradle vision should be translated into concrete objectives personal values. The anchoring of C2C in the organization implies 23 and challenges for each department. The greatest success is a cultural adjustment.

Internal competition also seems to work well, because people want to do well in terms of the benchmarks that are set. Indicators are needed to measure performance and maintain the right balance between simplicity, effectiveness and correctness in terms of content. Philips has a Sustainability Board in which business units are rated in terms of whether they are on schedule, how they perform in comparison to one another, and how well they are keeping to the road maps drawn up.

What has C2C delivered? • C2C provided us with a new business model.

Maarten ten Houten, Sustainability Director Philips Lighting: “Sustainability motivates because it is very close to personal core values” I nternal support learning points • A good demo-project is one way to make C2C tangible in the • Above all Cradle to Cradle means doing, persevering and properly organization. Nothing is better for the internal support than a explaining to your own people why you are doing it and how it fits into sustainable product that sells well. Using a C2C product for your business model. demonstration purposes works. It provides an excellent example and it is tangible. If you only talk about it you will never create internal support.

Kruidenier Foodservices | Keep on telling the story

F ood supplier At Kruidenier it is acknowledged that people need to creating a support base for sustainability. It www.elkedaglekkervers.nl time to come to terms with sustainability. “You provides a sense of external acknowledgement. have to keep telling the story”, says Christy Kool. The ‘Lean & Green award’ awarded to Kruidenier Kruidenier Foodservices tackles sustainability “As sustainability manager you have to be content by Connect (transport) was a great boost, and the on all fronts and is constantly looking for new, with small steps, and happy if people come back personnel involved it proud of it. sustainable developments for her products and to you with the message that sustainability is services. Since 2001 they have been working important for the business.” Kruidenier uses an What has C2C delivered? towards an integral policy with the right balance internal system of pairing off managers, the baker • In 2008 Kruidenier contributed to the BioCom between People, Planet and Profit. According to and the butcher for example – so that they can project (biodiversity compensation) initiated Christy Kool, manager HR and quality control, exchange best practices for the sustainability of by the then Ministry of VROM and LNV, in responsible for sustainable business practices the business. which the impact of companies on biodiversity inside Kruidenier, you have to build sustainability was investigated throughout the entire chain. into the daily processes, and keep it close to the At Kruidenier some sustainability activities Compensation was also considered as a way of people. Purchasers do not receive bonuses at are seen as a kind of sport. Concrete, tangible maintaining biodiversity. C2C fits in perfectly Kruidenier for their sustainability performance projects, such as the ‘cattle cake of green waste’, when it comes to recycling return waste flows because they are expected to carry sustainability which receives no subsidy, help to create an into feed. in their genes. Certification based on ‘GSPMZ’ internal, positive energy. Those taking part tend • Kruidenier wants to bring back the Blaarkop. also means external appreciation and proof of to become competitive. A suitable award also This original Dutch breed of cattle was often performance in the field of sustainability. proves to be an important stimulus when it comes stationed around the medieval cities of the 5. Packaging Conscious choices

One of the challenges in the Learning Community was the search for view of sustainable packaging is that the quantity of packaging should suitable C2C packaging. With the help of external packaging experts, be minimized to reduce the impact on the environment. But Cradle to the possibilities and the new, sustainable developments in this area Cradle is not about eco-efficiency (doing things less badly), it is about were examined. For McDonough and Braungart, the inventors of C2C, the eco-effectiveness (doing it well) of the products, and therefore waste is no problem since waste is, after all, food! The traditional also of the packaging.

16th century. In the ‘fattening-up phase’ they received vegetable waste from the city dwellers and grain residue from the gin distilleries as food. The manure was used to fertilize the entire dune and bulb-growing area of today. This is in fact how the bulb- growing area was created. They were already using C2C method, and they understood very well how it worked.

What has the Learning Community delivered? • The diverse network of the Learning Community led to a huge exchange of knowledge. Christy Kool and Jan Verlaan of AkzoNobel for example had an elaborate discussion about the possibilities of whey, a by-product of cheese. • The diversity of disciplines meant that the Learning Community could take even greater advantage of one another’s experience. There was for example a very interesting discussion with ECOstyle about Blaarkop manure, and the virtues of animal versus plant manure. • Packaging for various products and purposes was discussed with industrial designer Eveline Bijleveld of Dageraad Industrial Design.

Christy Kool, Manager P&O and quality control for Kruidenier Foodservices: “To Kruidenier, C2C and increasing biodiversity are interrelated, which means that both are extremely important!” It is important that a conscious choice is made as early as the design In the packaging field there are stillinnumerable challenges, phase as to whether the packaging material is best suited for the in particular with respect to plastics, both in the technical cycle biological cycle, or whether it can better be recycled for use in the (recycling at the same level) and the biological cycle. Many of the production of some other high-value product. Various manufacturers biologically degradable packaging materials (as tested against have already started to design packaging for the technical or current standards) need much more time than is normally required biological cycle. Numerous experiments are being carried out with in a composting plant. Such packaging will therefore ultimately recycled PET and biologically degradable plastics such as PLA. be rejected from the composting trajectory, to be incinerated and Complete chain closure however has not yet been achieved. converted into energy. In the technical cycle as well, much can be 26 gained by deliberate design so that recycling produces at least the same level of quality.

D ageraad | Sharing knowledge

I ndustrial design agency Dageraad Industrial Design, founded by Bijleveld What has C2C delivered? www.dageraadontwerp.nl with her partner Maarten Kalis, is aimed primarily • n C2C fits i well with the current tendency: at sustainability. When Bijleveld decided to set "Together you get further than on your own, by Eveline Bijleveld became involved in the C2C to work according to the principles of Cradle to sharing knowledge with one another!" Learning Community through her work as a Cradle, she realized it was necessary to gather sustainable product designer at VelopA, where additional expertise. A designer also has an she was responsible for the design of the C2C overview of the entire product chain, and is outdoor bench ‘the ComeBack’. involved in many of the changes inside a company. Packaging learning points • Balancing the technical possibilities and the economic aspects is a • The closure of cycles requires us to consider as early as the product challenge. A lot is technically feasible, but it must also be design phase, which cycle the product is intended for: the technical or economically profitable. the biological cycle. This has implications for the type of material • To arrive at a complete solution, cooperation is necessary. The solution used and the disassembly of the product. Materials should only be must entail benefits for all parties in the chain if the new concept is mixed if they can be separated later on. to be accepted and to gain sufficient volume. This means the right • For some participants LDPE foil was found to be the most suitable partners are sometimes one step further away than in the traditional packaging material. The current biological alternatives based on 27 value chain. starch and PLA may limit CO2 emissions, but they also use more land.

What has the Learning Community delivered? • Because of its composition, the Learning Community possesses a lot of information, which is useful in the early phases of design and during the introduction of a C2C product. This also means the pitfalls can be recognized at an early stage. The sheer diversity of the people and companies meant that there was an on-going exchange of valuable lessons and information.

Eveline Bijleveld, industrial designer and owner of Dageraad Industrial Design: “C2C design requires intensive cooperation between chain partners.” 6. Organizational change and sales Activating the added value of C2C

Companies using Cradle to Cradle for the first time soon realize there will have to operate differently. Organizations must learn to develop is much more involved than being awarded a certificate. Successful contextual awareness, in other words they must become aware implementation and application of C2C has profound effects on the of developments in society and be able to translate them to the organization. C2C is more than a sustainable product design – it is business and (new) opportunities for products and services. The a philosophy, which can and must be embraced and applied by the organization– particularly the management – must also have entire organization. The implementation of C2C therefore demands sufficient self-knowledge. How do I manage and direct people? innovation and, in the longer term, integral organizational change. What are my strengths? How do I adapt to new situations? C2C requires after all new knowledge and a different style of leadership 28 The C2C debate often focuses on the technical aspects of innovation. in which openness and co-creation will play an important role. But more is needed. The organization itself, and all of its employees,

A hrend | a positive sales strategy

O ffice furnishings more clearly and confidently to the customer. What has C2C delivered? www.ahrend.com This year a start will be made on training the • A recognition/acknowledgement of Ahrend sales department for that purpose. The focus as front runner in the field of sustainability. Ahrend organizes its business operations of the product is no longer based purely on the In March 2011 Ahrend received the Cradle to according to the C2C philosophy. C2C fits in well properties of the product but on the benefits Cradle Company Award; with the ambition to be the most sustainable thereof. Cradle to Cradle is a healthy choice for • More than a third of turnover is from C2C company in the sector in Europe. Three product you, your wallet and society at large. certified products. This makes Ahrend one lines received the silver C2C certificate in 2010. of the absolute top C2C companies in the In the sales strategy there is more emphasis on Netherlands. In 2011 Ahrend wants to increase sales of C2C the consultation period. The customer must be products by 50%. Many customers already buy consulted about the ‘new functionality’: safe and C2C products without being aware of it. The healthy products that encourage people and help C2C story therefore has to be communicated them perform better. Once this kind of awareness is in place, a business can set to work focusing on the C2C story and the functional benefits it brings to with new forms of cooperation and skills. The biggest change occurs the customer. It is the task of the salesperson to activate the added in the internal cooperation between the various departments and the value of the C2C product in the market. Representatives will learn external cooperation with suppliers and customers. C2C innovations how to communicate the C2C story in a clear and confident way to only succeed if there is real cooperation both inside and outside the the outside world. The customer is also increasingly knowledgeable organization. about C2C and sustainability, so it is particularly important that the substance of this story is correct. New, internal sales combinations The sales department must also be involved in the C2C programme can be put to good use in this regard: take a CSR ambassador with 29 from the very start. They are the ones responsible for translating C2C expertise with you to a sales pitch for example. C2C to the customer. Their selling argument will have to change,

What has the Learning Community delivered? • ts I i important to actively inspire and encourage. Ahrend shows great initiative in the direction of government and other partners. Ahrend in cooperation with DESSO, Mosa and Van Gansewinkel launched the ‘ Cradle to Cradle Café’ mini-seminars for example, where topical subjects in the field of C2C are discussed.

Roel van der Palen, Business Development Manager at Ahrend: “Cradle to Cradle pays off; for the same money you work in a healthier, safer environment.” Organizational change and sales learning points Further reading • C2C is a continuous learning process: take a critical look at your Spiral Dynamics: www.spiraldynamics.org own organization, propose solutions and introduce improvement programmes to help put the C2C philosophy and C2C criteria into practice. • Organizational change is inseparably linked to C2C when it is applied on a large scale. The competence and skills of people in the various business units must be thoroughly scrutinised and adjusted as 30 necessary to define a new commitment to the realization of C2C. • Salespersons are still very much oriented toward the selling of products, but the market is increasingly calling for a discussion partner who is thinking with them about ways to solve their “sustainability problem”.

Vel opA | Making C2C discussible

S treet furniture the product had a ‘good vibe’ – the ‘ComeBack’ What has C2C delivered? www.velopa.com should convey the sense that C2C pays off. • C2C stimulated the internal sense of urgency. Michel Middendorp, International Sales VelopA’s interest in C2C is based on the realization Selling a C2C product calls for some serious Manager, asserts: “Cradle to Cradle pays off that if you want to be among the market leaders adjustments in the sales department. because it gives us a clearer insight into the you have to take the lead in sustainability. VelopA Representatives have to learn to communicate philosophy of sustainability and what we can therefore developed a sustainability policy. As the sustainability concept clearly to the customer. do with it as a company.” a result VelopA brought the first C2C certified A number of steps have already been taken • Sales staff has made sustainability and C2C outdoor bench onto the market, the ‘ComeBack’. in this direction. Sales staff has been given a real topic for discussion. Externally, VelopA The presentation of the product generated plenty sustainability training in the form of presentations demonstrated clearly that it is serious about of free publicity. For VelopA it was important that and seminars. VelopA now faces the challenge of the subject. integrating the C2C concept into the sales story. 7. C2C and LCA Are positive environmental effects measurable?

Companies and government bodies that want to implement the words they wanted to further professionalize C2C by using a principles of C2C are familiar with the use of LCA as a measuring measuring instrument that will be accepted in ‘LCA circles’. technique. As are several participants from the Learning Community. In an LCA the environmental impact is estimated from cradle to A separate work group of the Learning Community working with grave, throughout the entire life span of a product. The Learning EPEA experts and PRé Consultants looked into the available options. Community felt there was a need for greater clarity about the Their conclusions are to be published in a white paper and confirmed measurability of C2C aspects of products and developments. by an international Sounding Board. The aim of this paper is to 31 Companies are looking for a measuring instrument for use at three provide insight into the usefulness of LCA as a measuring instrument important moments in their C2C process: in the development of C2C products.

1) In setting goals (vision/ambition); At the moment this booklet went to press the white paper was still 2) In monitoring the development; being prepared. Some aspects of C2C and LCA are already mapped 3) In external communication. out to help clarify the essential nature of the two concepts (see the table below). The starting point was to find a linkage with the most accepted method of measurement, Life Cycle Assessment or LCA. In other

What has the Learning Community delivered? • o Thanks t the Learning Community VelopA was able to sustain and enhance her C2C ambitions. The Learning Community turned out to be an excellent source of inspiration for strengthening the commitment to C2C within the company. Ton van Klooster, director of VelopA, believes it is important to take key personnel from different departments to relevant Learning Community meetings. They come back, he says, with a realization that there are numerous possibilities - and opportunities - in C2C.

Ton van Klooster, Director VelopA: “If there is one person who can change your business it is the customer.” C2C LCA

What it is Innovation framework, Business concept. Method for measuring the environmental impact of products over the entire life cycle.

Philosophy It is possible to design products with a “All” products pollute; they all require extraction of raw materials, and there is always some positive impact on people, the environment form of waste left over. and economic profit (the three Ps).

Approach Eco-effectiveness: develop a product with Eco-efficiency: do more with less. Improve the ratio between economic value and positive qualities. The process is part of the environmental impact. The aim is to measure the result, not the process. ultimate goal.

Design aids Use the 3 guiding principles to establish a Use hot spots to set priorities for improvements. clear direction.

32 Environmental Maximisation of positive effects on people, LCA is used as a measuring instrument in eco-design, whereby hot spots (life cycle impact their environment and the future availability elements with the biggest– negative – environmental impact) are identified so that of raw materials. designers can set priorities for improvements.

Footprint Develop a positive beneficial footprint. Measure the footprint and let designers decide how to handle with it.

DSMw | Ne opportunities

Chemical engineering and biotechnology chain partners about the innovations needed to What has C2C delivered? www.dsm.nl make products sustainable. • o Cradle t Cradle generates a powerful and inspiring message: by means of C2C companies DSM has long been a leader in the field of In partnership with customers, solutions were can have a positive effect on the environment sustainability. DSM has proved to be extremely invented to replace plastic throw-away packaging instead of just trying to reduce the negative innovative in recent years, especially in relation by cardboard packaging with a barrier coating. impact; to chain closure. From 2004 to 2010 the company The coating, based on specially developed resins, • The demands placed by C2C on design are an has occupied the first or second place on the Dow provides an adequate barrier against moisture excellent stimulus for innovation; Jones Sustainability Index. Direct cooperation with and fat, but it is still biodegradable. This produces • Last but not least: C2C generates new business EPEA was initiated in 2008 to achieve even better an end-product of greater value than cardboard for DSM, so that this philosophy ultimately results with the Cradle to Cradle philosophy. alone, which means extra added value for the contributes to the total business result. This led to the development of five C2C certified cardboard manufacturer. It also reduces the plastics. Implementation of C2C was also an consumption of plastics and the amount of excellent opportunity to enter into dialogue with (street) litter. T he (preliminary) conclusions about the use of LCA for C2C at a particular time based on current data, not the amount purposes are: of progress made toward a defined C2C goal. This is why the C2C ‘roadmap’ for companies with its associated measurable 1) Set C2C goals: Elements of a LCA can be useful supplements to the ‘milestones’ remains important. C2C inventory in the beginning of the process. Apart from mapping out the composition of the product in the C2C inventory, LCA also 4) External communication: LCA is not suitable for serves as a check: “Do we know everything we need to know about communicating the C2C-ness of a product, and thus not the product?”. suitable for external C2C communication. It may be useful to 33 know internally 2) C2C Monitoring: In a C2C process LCA can assist to see if burdens how a C2C design scores in an LCA to put it into context are shifted when changes are made to the product or process. This with government criteria (sustainable procurement) and issue is not examined (fully) by C2C. other communications based on LCA, such as Environmental Product Declarations (EPD, an LCA standard in industry with 3) C2C Monitoring: LCA is not suitable for indicating how much sector-specific product criteria; see also ‘LCA learning points’ progress has been made on a C2C product. LCA measures a design in this regard).

What has the Learning Community delivered? • Our contacts in the field of C2C were extended in the Learning Community with companies that occupy a totally different position in the business chain. This turned out to be extremely valuable when it came to obtaining a broader picture of the possibilities of Cradle to Cradle, and it also contributed to quicker results. In short it led to fertile cooperation.

Theo Jongeling, Business Manager C2C-Solutions at DSM: “Cradle to Cradle pays because it encourages innovation from a sustainability perspective. This produces new opportunities, and it is oriented to everyone’s future." T he (preliminary) conclusions about typical C2C aspects in LCA. Design for disassembly, the cycle of materials and ‘defined relation to LCA are: use’, for example cannot be measured by LCA.

1) Even though LCA was developed to estimate negative effects, 2) Cradle to Cradle products are often about future solutions in a theoretically it can also be used to estimate certain (C2C-specific) future C2C-ideal situation. This leads to many assumptions and positive environmental effects. Possible examples are cleaner air uncertainties. LCA always takes the present world as its frame (delivered by air-purification carpet), cleaner water (delivered by a of reference, so that some assumptions (based on C2C) can have C2C carpet-production process) or the effect of energy-producing a negative effect on the outcomes of an LCA. The question of 34 homes. Not all positive qualities however can be measured by energy consumption, necessary for post-use resource production

DESSO | Further than ‘normal’ sustainability

F loor coverings C2C certified in the future. The free publicity What has C2C delivered? www.desso.com generated for DESSO by Cradle to Cradle meant • DESSO turnover remained the same even that the marketing budget could be reduced though the European market shrank by 35% and DESSO was taken over by NPM Capital in 2007. by 50%. Instead of using traditional marketing the Dutch market by 12%. The new management wanted to change the course techniques, DESSO decided to actively look for • C2C opens many doors and has greatly of the company to fight off the competition. DESSO potential customers and appeal to them with the improved the image of DESSO. wanted to shed her old-fashioned image. It was C2C story. The company takes every available • In 2010 DESSO launched the AirMaster®, a hoped that by embracing the Cradle to Cradle opportunity to speak at congresses and seminars carpet that actually cleans the air. The product philosophy DESSO would differentiate herself in the on sustainability. This is where the managers and contributes to a better quality of life, entirely market in terms of both sustainability and design. decision-makers are to be found. This proactive in accordance with the Cradle to Cradle approach has brought DESSO a number of large philosophy. Since 2008 DESSO is profiling itself as a C2C orders from business and government, at various company seeking to have all its products ministries for example. (recycling), is expected to be solvable via innovation in energy quantified for LCA measurement. In other words: it depends on the production. The same applies with respect to better management extent to which they can be described in a realistic way, in concrete

of CO2. It is possible to include such C2C assumptions in an LCA, terms and not as conceptual ideas. A LCA is primarily designed to but they must be clearly defined in the “goal and scope definition”. estimate the ultimate environmental damage caused by a product, They will also increase the margin of uncertainty in the results. and not (for example) whether there is a particular sensitivity to certain substances (such as formaldehyde resin off-gassing 3) C2C is about quality and LCA as a measuring instrument is from fresh furniture panels, or VOCs from new carpet tiles with a about quantity. The extent to which the defined qualities of a bitumen backing). 35 C2C product can be measured depends on the extent they can be

What has the Learning Community delivered? • DESSO initiated a C2C and LCA work group, joining strength with other companies to gain a better understanding of what can and cannot be done using LCA from a C2C perspective.

Rudi Daelmans, Director Sustainability at DESSO: “C2C pays off because it can give future generations a healthier world in which consumption is no longer a dirty word.” S ome complementing remarks: toxicity is relatively unimportant in an LCA compared to C2C (LCA: if toxicity accounts for less than 1% of the total environmental • In a LCA, toxicity is based on emissions to the environment. C2C impact it is not taken into account. C2C: composition of material is on the other hand looks at the value and toxicity aspects of the known to 100 ppm). materials for next processes as well, not just emissions. LCA often omits minor substance flows, which may appear to be irrelevant, • The recyclability of a product cannot be measured by a LCA. because of lack of data. Yet these minor flows can contain some The recycling process can only be taken into account in a LCA if highly toxic chemicals that create a substantial local risk; for realistic assumptions can be made about the anticipated recycling 36 that reason LCAs may be inadequate when it comes to toxicology. percentage. In Cradle to Cradle, the development of concepts for Toxicological information is furthermore only available for a change towards a future cradle of things has highest priority. limited number of substances. Out of the 145,000 industrially relevant chemical substances, only 5,000 are recorded in Usetox • Certainly in the case of Environmental Product Declarations the (an important toxicity method in LCA). And as a general theme, result can turn out to be ‘unfavourable’ for C2C products at a

E uroCeramic | Focus on life span

S toneware pipes and fittings These LCAs have some disadvantages however What has C2C delivered? www.euroceramic.nl compared to the C2C methodology, particularly in • C2C brought EuroCeramic considerable relation to raw materials. With LCA it is possible to public recognition. Since embracing the C2C EuroCeramic has produced and supplied C2C leave raw materials used in small quantities out of philosophy, EuroCeramic has frequently been stoneware pipes since 2009. The pipes are the analysis. This is certainly not possible with C2C. asked to sit around the table as a fully fledged manufactured in a closed chain, and all the ceramic This philosophy therefore had a far greater appeal discussion partner with large consultancy waste (fired and unfired) is recycled. The conversion to EuroCeramic. Thanks to the implementation firms. EuroCeramic observes that an increasing to C2C cost relatively little effort. EuroCeramic of C2C, EuroCeramic now knows down to 100 number of municipalities is showing an interest already used sustainable raw materials, and parts per million what is in its products, and that in vitrified clay pipes and is asking about the produces virtually no industrial waste. these materials do no damage to man or the possibilities and the latest developments. EuroCeramic often used LCA methods in the past environment. to analyse the environmental impact of products. transient stage of development towards a “burden-free” situation. • Summing up: we have to decide for each product whether, and For example, ‘off-gassing’ materials may be ignored in an EPD how, C2C aspects can be made measurable using an LCA. The even if it is a nuisance to users. In the innovation framework of LCA framework is flexible enough to take us quite a long way in C2C on the other hand, the effects of the chemicals in a material this regard; the Environmental Product Declaration framework on are always explicitly included. the other hand often does not. This represents a real bottleneck. Because of such limitations, a C2C product may deliver a poor • Certain significant health aspects of C2C are not measured in environmental declaration. It is advisable to be aware of this a LCA. Important matters such as the sensitivity of the airways during the C2C process to avoid unpleasant surprises at the end 37 or the skin, or the indoor air quality, are often not included of the development phase (see also the conclusion on external in a ‘normal’ LCA or environmental declaration. Similar with communication in this regard). ergonomic or aesthetic considerations, not all C2C aspects can be included in an LCA. The intention is to supplement the white paper with a ‘LCA guide’ explaining the areas of particular importance in the measurement of • Local aspects are not generally considered in an LCA. These may C2C aspects. play a role in the quality of indoor air, for example.

What has the Learning Community delivered? • The various ways of working with certification among the Learning Community members was particularly enlightening for EuroCeramic. • Also extremely valuable were the efforts of the Learning Community to tie C2C in with LCA methods. EuroCeramic sees a lot of potential for this kind of analysis with regard to its own products.

René van Veldhoven, plant manager at EuroCeramic: “We know that nothing that is used in our products is damaging people or the environment.” LC A learning points • Genuine C2C benefits, such as involving safe materials is not taken enough into account in an environmental impact declaration (such • The paper on C2C and LCA can help to bridge the gap between as an EPD). An EPD is based on a so-called Product Category Rule conventional sustainability and C2C thinking. Inside companies and (PCR) document. This sets out what is and what is not to be taken government bodies many (sustainability) decisions are taken on into account. As a rule several companies in mutual consultation the basis of LCAs. If C2C is given a clear role in this regard, it will draw up PCRs. See also www.gednet.org. be possible to position it within the business processes (in strategy definition and decision-making for example). • DESSO uses LCA for internal decisions, so that they know what they 38 are dealing with. It is therefore a tool, not a goal in itself. As soon • In the world of sustainability and Cradle to Cradle, clients and as a LCA is used for commercial purposes, as in the case of EPDs, suppliers are often still searching for the ‘truth’. All the different it seems to have become a goal in itself. All the aspects not found terms and concepts used may have a somewhat confusing effect. in such an LCA, such as toxicity, social aspects and effects on the indoor air quality, are then disregarded.

M osa | Natural and recyclable

Ceramic tiles production process. To close the chain even further, The composition of the collected material is not www.mosa.nl a pilot project was started with waste collector consistent because it may contain several types of Van Gansewinkel in 2010 to establish whether a ceramic waste. An experiment was carried out with Royal Mosa is a manufacturer of ceramic tiles and recovery system for tiles from the market would be this ‘post consumer’ recycled raw material; the is known for her innovative and leading design. feasible. tiles are of good quality and aesthetically pleasing. Mosa is the only tile maker who produces its entire To guarantee their consistency however, an optimal collection sustainably in the Netherlands. Mosa In these return logistics ‘Just in time’ (a logistical composition of raw materials is currently being embraced Cradle to Cradle in 2007 and today some method for optimal inventory control) is very sought. 99% of the tile collection has the silver certificate. important. The peaks and valleys in the material flow are a major challenge. Construction What has C2C delivered? Mosa tiles contain only natural raw materials and companies willing enough to sort their rubble • The Cradle to Cradle philosophy supports Mosa are recyclable. Currently they contain between 16 are often defeated by the short-term need for a in its ambition to play a leading role in the and 45% of ‘pre consumer’ recycled material. To container on the ground, which can also be quickly field of sustainability. This, alongside design further enhance the recyclability of the product two removed. This means the entire organization has to and functionality, constitutes one of the three things are important: the availability of suitable be set up accordingly. pillars of the business. In addition to it being a materials and their process ability in Mosa’s critical factor for staying in business in the long • EuroCeramic observes that particularly in relation to sewerage compare various materials and their respective life spans with one materials, much use continues to be made of ‘obsolete’ LCA another. studies in which scarcely any attention is paid to the life span of a product. In the view of EuroCeramic, life span is one of the most • Mosa found that data collected in the context of C2C, such as important aspects of an LCA. The analysis of the environmental information about modelling, raw materials, energy consumption impact of a product is not worth anything if it is not related to a and emissions, can serve as input for an LCA. The LCA is therefore realistic life span. C2C also pays very little attention to life span. of a better quality because it is based on actual information instead From the point of view of C2C this is not necessary because it of assumptions. 39 works with closed chains. C2C applies a so-called defined use period, depending on the functional use of the product (when does Further reading the material become available for a subsequent use). For cost The white paper will be available from September at comparisons over the entire life span it is therefore important to www.agentschapnl.nl/cradle-to-cradle

term, sustainability also calls for taking responsibility and interacting with customers. Customers are increasingly asking for sustainable products, and they are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about the subject. Professionalism and integrity on the part of suppliers is starting to bear fruit. • Cradle to Cradle is about integral product quality. It challenges Mosa to stay innovative: to go a step further than merely follow the regulations and seek out the boundaries of what is possible in order to maintain its leading position in the market.

Dorienn va der Weele, Manager Sustainability at Mosa: “Mosa believes that in the long term there will be no place for anything but sustainable building products which can be produced and used without health risks.” 8. Chain closure Recycling and upcycling

Closing the chain is one of the most important aspects of C2C. The Learning Community sees chain closure as one of the biggest Waste equals food: according to the C2C philosophy all products challenges of the implementation of C2C. The rising cost of scarce should eventually end up as a high-value raw material for a new raw materials is a major economic incentive for companies to take product. Braungart and McDonough draw a distinction between the this up. Cooperation with chain partners is absolutely essential to biological cycle and the technical cycle. Products must be designed achieving it. Cycles can only be closed if the entire chain is willing in a way that the various materials can easily be separated out again to contribute. At the front of the chain, agreements have to be made and reintroduced to one or both chains. with suppliers about the raw materials and design of the product.

LDM | Grip on chain closure

semi finished brass products Recovering products from end-users after use Complex metallurgical techniques are involved www.ldmbrass.com presents some serious difficulties for LDM. which cannot be introduced from one day to the This is largely due to the fact that LDM makes next. LDM knows exactly what kind of approach As a producer of brass and bronze alloys LDM is intermediates. To change this situation LDM is required however, and a very promising pilot well aware that the raw materials for these alloys recently approached a number of its customers project is currently being scaled up. are becoming increasingly scarce. It is therefore who make luxury sanitary facilities. LDM is trying not surprising that sustainability sits in the DNA to set up a closed chain with these customers. What has C2C delivered? of the company. Not just because it is good for This means that after many years of use, all the • Concrete changes in the material flows have not the environment, but for fundamental economic brass contained in the products will be returned yet been realized. Before LDM started applying reasons as well. Now that the price of copper is to LDM. C2C the company was already a leader in the rocketing, it is essential for the continuity of the field of sustainability and chain closure. Clearly business to get a grip on chain closure. In fact, There is also a strong focus on the metal residues the final steps are the most difficult. The fine even long before LDM adopted C2C, more than produced by the LDM factory. One of the long tuning of chain closure is a complicated process. 98% of the raw materials used in the production term ambitions of LDM is to process these flows LDM regards it as an evolutionary process. Just of semi-finished products were secondary raw of metal-bearing material herself. In cooperation as the biological cycles of the planet took a long materials. C2C is an excellent incentive for LDM to with TU Delft, considerable steps have already time to develop, it is likely that things will be no take further steps on closing the chain. been taken in this direction. different for the cycles of technical materials. These have to comply with C2C criteria in relation to such matters Chain closure learning points as health and safety, ease of disassembly, and maximum possible • Chain closure is something you do with the right partners. You have use of mono-materials. At the back of the chain you have to set up a to trust one another and dare to step into a co-creation trajectory. return system with customers and end-users. Or find a way with third That requires an open relationship in which you understand one parties to re-use the end-product in the production process. another’s business model, and are prepared to adjust elements of your own model. This is the only way to discover new products, services, markets and revenue models together.

• Embracing the C2C philosophy has brought LDM a fair amount of public recognition. The company is recognized as a very responsible and reliable partner by their customers as well as the government. LDM is also trying to spread the C2C message among students. A training programme has been set up for the local ROC to make teachers more ‘C2C-wise’. This way LDM is investing in the customers of tomorrow.

What has the Learning Community delivered? • A valuable network with many possibilities. In the future C2C companies will be increasingly looking for ways to cooperate with one another, in the construction and layout of C2C buildings for example. In that regard it is good to be establishing useful contacts. LDM also learnt a lot from the other members, especially in the field of marketing. They have gained a real appreciation for the way companies such as DESSO and Van Gansewinkel are communicating about C2C to the outside world. This helped to trigger the debate about marketing within LDM.

Hansn va Dugteren, KAM manager at LDM: “The closure of cycles is vital, especially for a company that depends on scarce raw materials.” • Household waste represents a major challenge to the closure final phase of the product while building a sustainable relationship of cycles. The closure of the cycle in B2B appears to be easier with the customer. because the volumes are larger and the flows are easier to • Van Gansewinkel is increasingly involved in the design process deliver in separated form. of products and is asked to give advice on how to make products • Chain closure can be promoted by ensuring that the producer or business processes more sustainable. The goal of such remains the owner of the product. In this case the customer consultation is either to prevent the creation of waste or find a way does not pay for ownership, but for the use of the product. By to take the product back into their cycle after the disposal phase. guaranteeing residual value on the product, you ensure that the • Return systems are a major challenge. In the early stages of C2C 42 customer comes back – and behaves like a chain partner rather implementation the company keeps getting products back, which than an end-user. In this way the producer keeps control over the are not C2C. For some products, such as the DESSO carpets, this

Van Gansewinkel | No such thing as waste

P rocessing waste amount of expertise to its disposal in the field from raw material to product to the ‘waste www.vangansewinkel.nl of recycling and is constantly looking for new phase’ ... and back to raw material. Today Van ways to improve the recycling process, thus Gansewinkel is even selling her own compost ‘Thereso i n such thing as waste.’ This is the implementing the C2C philosophy to the fullest to the market. motto of the Van Gansewinkel Group. Van possible extent. Gansewinkel collects and recycles waste flows, What has the Learning Community and converts them into raw material or energy. What has C2C delivered? delivered? They position themselves as a supplier of raw • Van Gansewinkel sees its revenue model • Van Gansewinkel was already involved in a materials and sustainable solutions. The C2C changing from a ‘solver of waste issues’ number of joint ventures regarding C2C with philosophy works as an important source of to a ‘supplier of raw materials’. This is a other companies. They have worked with inspiration. The company has an enormous completely different approach to the chain: Van Houtum on C2C solutions for paper for transition period can take as long as 15 years. There has to be found chain closure. The BSE crisis led to very strict rules regulating a way to get these materials back and convert them into value. return systems of food commodities. A lot of food finishes up in • The current tax system puts a heavy burden on labour whereas the the waste incinerators as a result. Kruidenier Foodservices and use of raw materials is relatively cheap. From a C2C point of view Albron are investigating how chain closure can be achieved in it would be more effective to spread the tax more evenly between the food industry. labour and the use of raw materials. This would lead to a relative • Incineration of the residue from waste is sometimes the only rise in the price of raw materials and would cause a substantial solution. In this case it is important to burn the material in as financial boost towards closing the gaps in the cycle of materials. clean a state as possible and without any emissions of harmful 43 • In the food sector legislation leads to a number of obstacles for substances.

example. Van Gansewinkel is also working with tile manufacturer Mosa to find ways to close the tile cycle. A pilot project for collection and processing of tile waste has been rounded off with great success. Taking part in the Learning Community has been a good way for Van Gansewinkel to meet one another on a regular basis.

Florens Slob, Marketing Manager at Van Gansewinkel Group: “Design your packaging for the product it is intended for, but also think carefully about what will happen to that packaging after the product has been unpacked.” Benefits of the Learning Community Community of Practice as a ‘social instrument’

What are the actual benefits of a LearningC ommunity? What is “Learning from diversity” is a key concept of the Learning the added value of bringing pioneers in the field ofC 2C together in Community. The backgrounds and ambitions of the participants are one place? different. They have different visions and opinions about whether C2C is the best or only way to achieve sustainability, whether C2C In the Learning Community ‘learning from one another’ is key. goes beyond sustainability, or whether C2C is just one specific Learning about how other companies implement C2C, how they have form of sustainability. There is also a huge variation in the size of reached that point, and about the solutions they found to tackle the the companies involved (from 15 to 50,000 employees); the stage various challenges faced. Leading companies use one another as in which implementation of C2C is in; and the extent to which C2C/ 44 sparring partners, and through the Learning Community sessions sustainability has been incorporated in their business processes. they learn to speak a ‘common language’. They also differed in the scope of their ambitions; is the primary focus on certifying products, or is it an enterprise-wide strategy? Is One success factor of the Learning Community is that the certification being sought for existing, modified products, or are the participants are not competing with one another. It was a basic C2C products a brand new addition to the assortment? principle of the selection process that no more than one company per sector would be allowed to take part. This meant an atmosphere of trust and confidence could quickly be established among the participants.

O ther conclusions about the added value of the C2C 2. The examples and experiences of other C2C pioneers can also Learning Community: help the decision-making process in your own organization. This leads to a better understanding of the decision to embrace C2C. 1. The participants inspire one another with project examples, They are also a source of inspiration. It shows how C2C can be best contacts and experiences. It is both educational and enjoyable to realized, within your own company as well as further along the hear what other companies are doing. Tangible, honest stories chain or column. from the participants in the Learning Community had the widest appeal. Other companies are able to recognize important elements 3. New networks (partnerships and shared projects) are created. The of their own situation in such stories. members know where to find one another, and can quickly take action because they have had so many opportunities in the past to think and work together as part of the Community. “ Cooperation in theory and practice” is another key concept of the Learning Community. The numerous examples in this booklet show how enthusiastic the companies are about combining their strengths to find new C2C products and opportunities in the marketplace. They also discover how effective cooperation can be. During the market consultations about the refurbishment of the VROM Ministry building in The Hague for example, the members of the Learning Community suggested a number of new ideas. Together they wrote a collective 45 letter to the Dutch Government Buildings Agency about these ideas. This initiative made it clear to them that they could exercise far more collective influence on the ultimate layout and usage of the building if they were involved in the refurbishment plans at an early stage of the process. This can lead to finding numerous sustainable solutions from which the principal can choose.

4. A good working atmosphere is also an important basis for the success of the Learning Community.

5. Professional preparation and facilitation of the Learning Community meetings leads to effective communication and the deployment of suppliers of expertise and contacts for the government. Participants C2C Learning Community

R oyal Ahrend N.V. DSM Gerard Huiskes Manager Innovation Theo Jongeling Business Manager C2C Roel van der Palen Business Development Manager Rinus van den Berg Architect Industrial Designer Diana Seijs Coördinator CSR and Sustainability Henk Bosch Competence Leader Life Cycle Assessment

AkzoNobel ECOstyle Jan Verlaan Ideation Manager Wilma de Ruiter - Van der Stroet Marketing Manager Max Sonnen Sustainability Consultant 46 EuroCeramic Albron René van Veldhoven Plantmanager Henk Voormolen Director Sustanability Knoops Printing Establishment Dageraad Industrial Design Marc Geraeds Director Eveline Bijleveld Conceptual Designer and Wessel Breeuwsma Director KEP owner Dageraad Kruidenier Foodservices DESSO Christy Kool Manager HRM and Quality Rudi Daelmans Director Sustainability Nicole Shaffroth Projectleader Sustainability Rob Kragt Marketing Manager LDM Van Gansewinkel Hans van Dugteren SHEQ Manager Florens Slob Manager Marketing Leo Fliervoet Manager Raw Materials Van Houtum B.V. Royal Mosa N.V. Nick op den Buijsch Conceptmanager CSR Dorien van der Weele Manager Sustainability Bas Gehlen Director Operations Guy Geuskens Marketing Director VelopA B.V. 47 Philips Lighting Ton van Klooster Managing Director Maarten ten Houten Sustainability Director Philips Lighting Timo Krop Manager Quality & Support

Sapa Pole Products Tanja Buijks Marketing Communications Coördinator Nicole le Sage Marketing & Communications Leon Snoeren Business Support Manager 48

This booklet is a report on the benefits produced by the Cradle to Cradle The Learning Community met on ten occasions. Each session was held at, Learning Community. Seventeen companies, leaders and pioneers in the for and by the companies concerned, and their learning questions played field of C2C, came together throughout the past year and a half to learn how a central role. Sharing their insights about the themes dealt with in this C2C can be put into practice. booklet constituted the essence of the Learning Community. These themes were extremely diverse, ranging from marketing to the internal support base and from sustainable purchasing to organizational change. All these subjects are part of the sustainable innovation, which C2C implies. One important conclusion of the Learning Community is that C2C pays off, in every sense of the word. C2C is good for profit, people and planet.